XXL‘s Game Corner: DJ Rhude Reviews God Of War: Ascension

The original God Of War game that came out in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, set the bar high. Most critics hailed the game as classic worthy so you’ll have to excuse God Of War Ascension if it doesn’t quite live up to those lofty standards set by its predecessor. That’s not to say it isn’t a good game, but Ascension has a hard act to follow in the GoW series that wowed us on PlayStation 2.

Ascension is actually the prequel to the core trilogy of GoW console games that was completed in 2010, but that won’t stop people from making comparisons to the first game even though in theory Ascension is the story that comes first (see the irony at work here?). The one theme that has stayed the same is, Kratos is one pissed off (and remorseful) God and there will be blood. The game’s stunning visuals and stellar combat system do a lot for the wow factor, but the actual plot line, not so much. The Furies are the main detractors here and having broken a blood oath with the Gods, Kratos becomes the target for the three demonic sisters.

The opening fight against one of the Furies is a great introduction and you’ll find yourself reeled in rather quickly. After this though is where you’ll find that the story can get a bit disjointed as it utilizes several flashback moments. One flashback moment goes on for about two hours, but it gives some backstory on the events leading up to his capture. After you complete that campaign, the story jets back to the present and then another flashback point occurs. It feels like the story is all over the place and lack any cohesiveness. If you can look past that, Ascension is not a bad game, as there’s a nice balance of brawling and puzzle solving. The M rating on this game is well deserved as there’s nudes scenes and shots of cleavage. I wasn’t mad at that at all, but if you have small kids at home like I do, you might want to play this after hours when curious eyes aren’t watching.

Kratos is still one of the dopest and most violent characters ever created in video game lore, but unfortunately his story is losing its luster. God of War Ascension boasts solid gameplay and impaling ugly looking monsters has never been more fun but I look forward to see what Sony can do with this title on the PS4 to take it to the next level.